Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Babalwa Lobishe says a contractor will be appointed this week

Dozens of taxi operators and drivers under the Uitenhage and District Taxi Association (UDTA) in KwaNobuhle, Kariega blocked roads on Monday to demand answers about the collapsed Matanzima bridge.

The bridge, along with the Niven's bridge, across the Swartkops River, were damaged in heavy rainfall and floods in June and again in October. With only one major access road from KwaNobuhle, traffic congestion has become unbearable.

The protest happened during a meeting with members of UDTA, the South African National Civil Organisation (SANCO), the South African Police Service (SAPS), ward councillors and the Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Babalwa Lobishe.

Members of UDTA were seen storming out of the meeting on Monday, accusing other attendees of avoiding the "burning issues" such as the reconstruction of the Matanzima bridge.

Mthuthuzeli Madwara, general secretary of SANTACO in the Eastern Cape, was among those who left the meeting. "Our vehicles are getting damaged by bad roads. We have been waiting for the bridge to be fixed for a long time. We are not here for politics. Let's not generalise and discuss other issues. This meeting has one agenda, the bridge, nothing else," he said.

The mayor urged the taxi drivers to remain calm and stop protesting as he claimed a contractor will be appointed on Tuesday to start work on the bridge. "We will give letters to the contractors, at a cost of about R89 million. We assume the project to fix the bridge will take nine to twelve months."

She said the City had already spent R44-million on disaster-related repairs and construction.